Many diapers on the market today have waistbands or waist stretch elements in which a laminate of nonwovens and elastics strands are combined with the chassis under some tension. Elastic strands are the most cost effective way to get stretch that exhibits little relax or set over time. Nonwovens are preferred for the exterior of the waist material because it is breathable and softer than film alternatives. Some executions of applied waistband consist of elastics stretched in the process and applied transversely to the length of the product sandwiched in between some body-facing and some garment-facing material.
Other executions create a laminate of elastic strands and nonwoven and apply the laminate to the chassis under contraction transversely to the length of the product on the body-facing side such that the only material between the elastics and the body surface is a nonwoven in the waistband region. It is known that contraction around the waist will improve the perceived fit of the product by closing gaps at the back of the diaper, therefore, closing of these gaps could positively impact real or perceived leakage/containment. It is also known that when strands of elastic are combined under strain with other often non-extensible materials and then allowed to relax, they will create a laminate that has gathers of a certain frequency and a resulting basis weight that is higher than the starting materials laid flat. Since waistbands or stretch elements around the waist are added at full strain, when pulled tight during application, the waistbands fully extend or flatten around the waist area resulting in a basis weight around the waist similar to the starting materials. Therefore, a need exists to improve waist and leg band construction and application to the chassis to improve fit and leakage containment.